Work

Produxs

I worked with the PRODUXS team to create engaging user-centered designs. As a UX designer, I was tasked with improving the end-to-end user experience for a large online book retailer site and for a university site. I also supported the art director with Microsoft projects. Responsibilities included: stakeholder interviews, presentations, wireframing, visual designs, illustration, redlines, style guides and testing.

REI Infographics

Part of my time as the social media designer at REI involved creating infographics. I worked with different departments to create infographics about sleeping bags, biking, hiking, and tents. I took a great course on infographics by Amy Balliet at Killer Infographics. I worked closely with the Expert Advice writer Terry Woods, copy writers Julie Eiselt, Kelly Huffman, Craig DiPaolo, and several proofers. I am currently doing initial research for an infographic for the REI public affairs department that talks about how much the outdoor industry is contributing to the US economy, in particular, in Colorado and California.

Grains & Beans iPhone App

Ever needed to know how long to soak lima beans for? Or maybe you just found out you are gluten intolerant. Then this handy grains & beans guide is just for you. Included is information on preparing and cooking grains & beans.

In this project I worked on the user experience (testing, prototyping iterations) and visual design of the application using sketches, Axure, TestFlight and Photoshop.

Kidspace

I pitched and won this project with Kidspace Childcare Center for a complete image overhaul including a new brand and a new site. We started by conducting a survey to find out what teachers, staff and parents thought about their existing site and what enhancements they would like to see. Once it was determined that parents wanted more detailed and up to date information, we decided to create a member’s section that parents and staff could access through a login. I used paper prototypes to test various iterations of key tasks that users wanted to perform.

We switched to a new hosting service that provides quality customer service. We installed WordPress which allows the teachers and administration to maintain existing pages or add new pages from any computer, anywhere. Each classroom is set up with their own blog that the teachers maintain via email or via their browser. It serves as the hub of communication between parents and teachers. The kitchen chef posts their weekly menus. We hired a photographer for a day of on-site photos. We also printed Kidspace t-shirts for adults and kids which have become very popular.

Reuters

User interface and production comps presented to Reuters. This is a web video service that updates Reuters’ news and financial data operations. The idea is to give viewers deep but short reports of three to five minutes on a range of topics that mainstream channels do not always explore, and to do it in a way “that younger generations who grew up with the Internet will recognize”. Users search video clips for information and will make some programming available to the public online, but most of it will sit on the trading terminals that people pay for.

Kidspace

¡Viva!

¡Viva!

Bellevue School District

Researched, presented, and designed the district website along with 32 school websites. I hired a developer to help build a Content Management System that would allow teachers, staff and parents to update content or add their own pages. I conducted training for about 20 staff and teachers. I did one day of photoshooting at the district offices.

REI

REI hired me for a quick turnaround project involving the redesign of the stewardship site. I designed 4 different templates and worked closely with the web developer. I focused on designing robust pages that would scale well over time. Axure was used for prototyping (wireframes, flowchart, content and for getting sign off on the basic user interface).

Amazon

While at Amazon I helped launch the retail sites for Amazon Japan and Amazon Canada. In addition, I launched the Amazon jewelry & watches store. I branded the first year of seasonal gift stores for Japan and Canada in addition to marketing exclusive products such as the Segway. I collaborated on the information architecture for the checkout process and sitewide dual-language display.

Japanese Trading Cards

AT&T Wireless

AT&T has a strong record of receiving praise for leadership and making contributions to increase opportunities in the community, workplace and marketplace. I was tasked with setting up this site for their Community Connections Awards program. I created the information architecture, user tasks, visual design, basic coding, and heuristic evaluations.

Bellevue School District Logo

I was hired to redesign the district logo. I did research, industry analysis, exploration and implementation of the new design.

Produxs

REI Infographics

Grains & Beans iPhone App

Kidspace

Reuters

Kidspace

¡Viva!

Bellevue School District

REI

Amazon

Sur La Table

Japanese Trading Cards

AT&T Wireless

Bellevue School District Logo

Services

I offer services in UX design, localization, and data design. You can view samplings of my data visualizations on Tableau Public.

User Experience

Imagine user experiences as a necklace of memorized stories, of use and consumption repeated on different websites. Humans carry with them this ‘necklace’ of user experiences. They are remembered because of their practical relevance, for example in being able to quickly research a product, a company, a person. Well designed sites allow you to thread together data inferences.

As we rely on having more of our apps and services in the cloud, the more important it is to compliment what I call “your neighbor’s UI”. Each industry has developed its own UI standards that are constantly evolving and it is the job of the UX designer to stay abreast of those changes. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you invent something that has mass adoption and becomes a standard. New functionality and improvements are being introduced everyday. Recently I think of the easier and faster language input options on mobile devices and gesturing on touch screens.

Sometimes, in the case of a breakthrough technology, such as Tableau Desktop or Tableau Online with data visualization, the users have yet to understand the vast possibilities. The simplicity of the drag and drop interface and the data connection interface encourages users to immediately dive into their data without necessarily needing to know much about their data. The user interface encourages you to explore!

I help companies create memorable, fast-adoption UI and brand experiences (think Amazon’s 1-click) for their users. I apply best practices for both visual design and human-centered design. I would describe my design aesthetic as minimalist, elegant, powerful, clean, and essential. I work with companies in designing end-to-end user experiences. I have an insatiable curiosity for people as sellers and people as buyers.

Localization

Localization can bring a great deal of value to a company. Many world-class companies generate in excess of 60% of their revenue outside of their core domestic market, forging relationships in global markets rich with opportunities. It is only logical that localized versions generate better results and engender deeper loyalty with your target audience. I have worked with multinational companies such as Tableau Software, Amazon.com, Leo Burnett, and Recruit in helping them reach new markets. I have worked in both the US and Japan. These companies have hired me for my understanding of the cultures and for being able to design content in double-byte languages. I am certified in Localization Project Management from the University of Washington. I manage the translation of all of your marketing materials for the APAC, EMEA, and LATAM markets. I audit existing vendors, translation management systems, and quality assurance programs for your company. I also manage your engines and guidelines for machine translation.

Branding and Storytelling

To be able to understand a company and represent it visually is a learned skill. A brand is like a personality that goes out into the world and interacts with its customers. It must reach out to the right people and resonate with the audience by choice of color, words, photos, tone, and location. Years of working in this field have helped me to hone my skills in creating user profiles, targeted branding and data stories for marketing campaigns and for lead generation.

About

Tokyo, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Seattle

I started my design career in Tokyo working for JCA, a worldwide art agency as a coordinator. I worked as a graphic designer for a Canadian publishing company in Roppongi, then for two years I was the art director at Selnate Publishing, a subsidiary of Recruit Japan.

I moved to Amsterdam and set up shop there for 6 months before moving back to the bay area. I worked for MattMo multimedia company, Stads Omroeper, and the University of Amsterdam.

After three years I migrated up to Seattle to do art direction for GoAhead’s embedded software and soon after I got pulled in to the Amazon vortex. Amazon was branching out globally and they needed someone with international design experience. For three and a half years I was the lead designer for Amazon International based in Seattle. I helped launch and maintain the Amazon Japan and Amazon Canada sites.

More recently I have moved back to the bay area and have been doing project management and data visualization on a consulting basis.

Process

Resumé

Produxs

I worked with the PRODUXS team to create engaging user-centered designs. As a UX designer, I was tasked with improving the end-to-end user experience for a large online book retailer site and for a university site. I also supported the art director with Microsoft projects. Responsibilities included: stakeholder interviews, presentations, wireframing, visual designs, illustration, redlines, style guides and testing.

REI Infographics

Part of my time as the social media designer at REI involved creating infographics. I worked with different departments to create infographics about sleeping bags, biking, hiking, and tents. I took a great course on infographics by Amy Balliet at Killer Infographics. I worked closely with the Expert Advice writer Terry Woods, copy writers Julie Eiselt, Kelly Huffman, Craig DiPaolo, and several proofers. I am currently doing initial research for an infographic for the REI public affairs department that talks about how much the outdoor industry is contributing to the US economy, in particular, in Colorado and California.

Grains & Beans iPhone App

Ever needed to know how long to soak lima beans for? Or maybe you just found out you are gluten intolerant. Then this handy grains & beans guide is just for you. Included is information on preparing and cooking grains & beans.

In this project I worked on the user experience (testing, prototyping iterations) and visual design of the application using sketches, Axure, TestFlight and Photoshop.

Kidspace

I pitched and won this project with Kidspace Childcare Center for a complete image overhaul including a new brand and a new site. We started by conducting a survey to find out what teachers, staff and parents thought about their existing site and what enhancements they would like to see. Once it was determined that parents wanted more detailed and up to date information, we decided to create a member’s section that parents and staff could access through a login. I used paper prototypes to test various iterations of key tasks that users wanted to perform.

We switched to a new hosting service that provides quality customer service. We installed WordPress which allows the teachers and administration to maintain existing pages or add new pages from any computer, anywhere. Each classroom is set up with their own blog that the teachers maintain via email or via their browser. It serves as the hub of communication between parents and teachers. The kitchen chef posts their weekly menus. We hired a photographer for a day of on-site photos. We also printed Kidspace t-shirts for adults and kids which have become very popular.

Reuters

User interface and production comps presented to Reuters. This is a web video service that updates Reuters’ news and financial data operations. The idea is to give viewers deep but short reports of three to five minutes on a range of topics that mainstream channels do not always explore, and to do it in a way “that younger generations who grew up with the Internet will recognize”. Users search video clips for information and will make some programming available to the public online, but most of it will sit on the trading terminals that people pay for.

Kidspace

¡Viva!

¡Viva!

Bellevue School District

Researched, presented, and designed the district website along with 32 school websites. I hired a developer to help build a Content Management System that would allow teachers, staff and parents to update content or add their own pages. I conducted training for about 20 staff and teachers. I did one day of photoshooting at the district offices.

REI

REI hired me for a quick turnaround project involving the redesign of the stewardship site. I designed 4 different templates and worked closely with the web developer. I focused on designing robust pages that would scale well over time. Axure was used for prototyping (wireframes, flowchart, content and for getting sign off on the basic user interface).

Amazon

While at Amazon I helped launch the retail sites for Amazon Japan and Amazon Canada. In addition, I launched the Amazon jewelry & watches store. I branded the first year of seasonal gift stores for Japan and Canada in addition to marketing exclusive products such as the Segway. I collaborated on the information architecture for the checkout process and sitewide dual-language display.

Japanese Trading Cards

AT&T Wireless

AT&T has a strong record of receiving praise for leadership and making contributions to increase opportunities in the community, workplace and marketplace. I was tasked with setting up this site for their Community Connections Awards program. I created the information architecture, user tasks, visual design, basic coding, and heuristic evaluations.

Bellevue School District Logo

I was hired to redesign the district logo. I did research, industry analysis, exploration and implementation of the new design.

Produxs

REI Infographics

Grains & Beans iPhone App

Kidspace

Reuters

Kidspace

¡Viva!

Bellevue School District

REI

Amazon

Sur La Table

Japanese Trading Cards

AT&T Wireless

Bellevue School District Logo

My Tiny House and Its Alternating Tread Stairs

It took me months to find someone to take on the challenge. Even as of 2017, not many Alternating Tread Devices have been built. Located in downtown Sebastopol, the shed is 8 x 15 feet and 15.5 feet high. Built in 35 days and it is built to code!….except the head clearance at the top of the stairs (5 feet). It looks like a tiny house, but it is just a shed.

After a lot of head scratching, sketching on paper and measuring, Bob (Robert) Ellison calmly told me that he could do it. He had never built one before, but he was confident. He said he would build it in his workshop and bring it over to install in components. Turns out Bob used to work a cabinet maker’s shop. Aha. That explained why the construction was so precise and he knew how to get it into the small building. We still have some shelves to install, some backing and then painting. We may also add another railing.

Me using the alternating tread device

“The Shed”

Studio 4622

The Studio 4622 is a place for encaustics, sewing, teaching art, and is currently sponsoring a co-op. The studio hosts regular events showcasing local Seattle artists’ work. Currently there are three artists who are members of the Artist Co-Op. Stay tuned for the next event which will be posted here.